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(No Model.)

B. R. OOGSWBLL.

LIFE PRESERVBE. No. 270,745. Patented Jan.16,1883.,

UNITED STATES ELIZA R. COGSYVELL,

PATENT OFFICE.

oF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LlFE-PRESERVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 270,745, dated January16, '1883.

Application filed December 13, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIZA R. OoeswELL, of the city and county of NewYork, and State ofNew York, one ofthe United States ofNorth America,have invented certain Improvements in Life-Preservers, of which thefollowing isa specification.

Thisinvention relates to that class of lifepreservers, so termed, whichowe their buoyancy to a filling of cork; and the said invention isapplicable not only to coik-jackets,so called, but to floats and othervarieties of what are-generally known as life-preservers. Oorklife-preservers as heretofore made, no matter what their forms ordetailofconstruction, have been subjectto inherent defects which haveimpaired theirusefnlnessandreliability. Cork in its ordinary condition,whether granulated.

or in what may be termed its solid or natural form, slowly deterioratesby the combined action of air and moisture, especially where the air isnot only damp, but closely confined, as is ordinarily the case in placeswhere life-preservers are stored, as on shipboard, &c. Furthermore,where life-preservers are filled with granulated cork, so termed, thisdeterioration increases in rapidity in proportion to the greater surfaceexposed to the action of air and moisture, and although the buoyancy ofa given weight of granulated cork V is commonly believed to be greaterthan that of an equal weight of cork in its ordinary or solid condition,yet this increased buoyancy is due to the presence of air confinedbetween the interstices of the granules of the material, and when in theuse of the life-preserver waterhas access to the granulated material theairisdisplaced and this artificial buoyancy of the cork is destroyed,thereby impairing the buoyant power of the life-preserver, so that infact a life-preserver filled with granulated cork of the ordinarycharacter has a delusive and misleading buoyancy, which is initself asource danger instead of a means of safety to those depending upon themfor aid in the event of accident. Furthermore, allcork, as ordinarilyused in life-preservers, is liable to absorb more or less of water whenimmersed in the latter, and toa corresponding extent become waterlogged,and thereby less buoyant.

The object of my invention is to obviate in cork life-preservers theobjections hereinbefore noted and it comprises certain novel means,

Figure 1 is a side view and partial sectional view of a cork-jacketembracing the several features of my invention. Fig. 2isa horizontalsectional view of such jacket, taken in the line m :r of Fig. 1. Figs. 3and 4 are respectively a side view and longitudinal sectional view ofcertain parts embraced in my said invention. Fig. 5 is a detail view,further illustrating my said invention; and Fig. 6 is a perspective viewof another formof life-preservers, which includes in its constructioncertain features of my saidinvention.

To provide the cork filling for life-preservers made according to mysaid invention, 1 take cork, preferably in a fragmentary condition. Thatcommonly termed waste-cork serves a very useful purpose; but whendesired the cork may be reduced to what isnisually termed a granularcondition, the material being reduced by any suitable means to anyrequired or desired degree of comminution. I provide a caldron or othersuitable vessel containing paraffiue in a molten condition, or,inlieuthereof, pa-rafiiue dissolved in any suitable menstruum or solvent.I then immerse the cork in the paraffine or paraffine solution, as thecase may be, for a sufficient length of time to coat the surface of thecork with the paraffine, so that when the cork is removed the fragmentsor pieces or granules thereof, as the case may be, are each severallycoated with the paraffine. The cork as thus prepared has air andmoisture practically excluded from contact therewith, from which itfollows that the cork itself cannot be deteriorated-by air or moisture,either or both, and is prevented from absorbing water or becomingwaterlogged thereby.

Fig. 5 illustrates a fragment of cork thus coated with paraffine, Abeing the cork, and a indicating the coating or parafline thereon.

In the construction of that form or variety of life-preserver commonlytermed a corkjacket 1 provide the jacket B itself of any suitablematerial or of any ordinary or suitable shape or configuration, andprovide therein pockets, which, when desired, may be similar to those inwhich ordinary granular cork has been used. These pockets arerepresented at IOU I) in Figs. 1 and 2, and may be formed by parallelrows of stitches, which connect the inner and outer fabrics, to b, byparallel seams, as shown at c in Fig. 2. I then provide sacks or pouchesB, of such size and configuration that when distended they will passreadily into the pockets 1) of the jacket. These pouches I make of anysuitable material or fabric, itself thoroughly impregnated or treated orcoated with paraffine, so as to form a water-proof pouch. These pouchesI fill with the cork coated, as hereinbefore explained, with paraffine,and then seal the pouches as closely as may be to exclude external air.I then insert the pouches into the pockets 1) of the jacket,

.and then, by sewing or otherwise, close the pockets to retain thepouches therein with sufticient security.

As thus constructed the life-preserver is incapable of deteriorationfrom any of the causes hereinbefore indicated as producing injury ordetriment to cork life-preservers constructed as has heretofore been thepractice. I'V hen desired, the pouches, instead of being filled with thecoated cork in a more or less fragmentary condition, may be filled eachwith one or more blocks of cork, in like manner coated with theparaffiue to prevent access of moisture and air thereto.

When preferred, the invention, or certain features thereof, may beembodiedin life-preservers of other forms and varietiesas, for example,in the annular life-preserver indicated in Fig. 6, in which asuitableenvelope orintegument, itself treated with p'aratfine, and therebyrendered water and air proof, is filled with the cork, itself coatedwith the paraffine, as hereinbet'ore explained, and for the purposeherein set forth.

It is of course to be understood that any light woody material having abuoyancy sufficient to enable it to serve the purpose of cork may beused as the equivalent of cork in the practice of my said invention.

I do not in this my present application claim broadly alife-preserver orlife-preserving mattress, cushion, jacket, or the like containinggranulated cork or other woody matter treated with a water-repellent,inasmuch as I make such broad claim in a separate and distinctapplication for Letters Patent which I have filed in the United StatesPatent Office, and which is now pending.

hat, therefore, in this my present application I claim as my inventionis 1. A filling for life-preservers, composed of cork coated withparaffine to exclude moisture and air, substantially as and for thepurpose herein set forth.

2. The combination of a filling composed of cork coated with paraflineand an inclosing integument, itself made air and water proof by coatingor impregnating with paraffine, substantially as and for the purposeherein set forth.

3. In a life-preserver, a series of connected pouches rendered water andair proof by being coated or impregnated with paraffine and filled withcork which is coated with paraffiue to exclude moisture and air,substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

4. A life-preserver comprising as its essential elements one or morepouches, B, rendered water and air proof by being coated or impregnatedwith paraffine, and inclosing a filling composed of cork in a granularor fragmentary condition, the fragments or granules of the cork beingcoated with paraffine, all substantially as and for the purpose hereinset forth.

5. The combination, with a jacket, B, having pockets 1), of pouches 13,made water and air proof by being coated or impregnated with par-affineand filled with cork, itself coated with paraffine to exclude moistureand air, all substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

ELIZA R. COGSVVELL.

Witnesses:

THOMAS E. OROSSMAN, RUDoLF H. RJiLLMAN.

